Two of CBJ's Biggest Events Back to Back!

FREE COMIC BOOK DAY - SATURDAY, MAY 1ST!

The most fun day of the year is only a week away! Join us at the store on Saturday, May 1st for FREE COMIC BOOK DAY! For those of you unfamiliar with FCBD, let me put it into perspective for you. Every major publisher releases a book or two for free, absolutely no cost to you! Just come down to the store and pick out what you want. There will be a limited amount of books per customer and only until supplies last. First come, first served. In addition we will have a few creators down at the store to sign books (including some done for Free Comic Book Day) and do some sketches for you! Included are some of the guys from Zuda Comics, DC's awesome web comic hub! Click on the link below to check it out in the meantime here's the lineup:

• Evan Dorkin (Dork, Milk & Cheese, Simpsons)
• Steve Ellis (High Moon, Zuda Comics)
• David Gallaher (High Moon, Zuda Comics)
• Lauren Monardo (Det. Ham & Eggs, Chip & Ding Dong)
• The Timony Twins (Night Owls, Zuda Comics)

What? Free comics and tons of creators aren't good enough for you? Fine, on top of all this there will be a 10% discount on everything in the store throughout the entire day! I can't tell you how many people ask me when FCBD and are disappointed when I tell them it's only once a year, DO NOT MISS IT!



IRON MAN 2 TAILGATE PARTY!!!



You've all been asking about this almost since the first Iron Man Tailgate Party came and went so it should be no surprise that this will probably be our biggest tailgate party yet. We kicked off this year's parties a couple of weeks ago with the Kick Ass Tailgate Party (where everything in the store was 60% off) and now you have your chance to redeem yourself if you missed the last one this Thursday, May 6th!

If you aren't familiar, here's the deal: Pick up your ticket to the midnight showing of Iron Man 2 (for Thursday night, technically Friday morning) and come down to the store starting at 9pm for some free food, drinks and a special sale where we pick a number out of a hat and everything in the store will be between 10%-70% off! I promise you you won't get this anywhere else!

You should get here early to guarantee yourself some food and drinks and, of course, any contributions are welcome. Also, you MUST have a ticket to the midnight showing - NO EXCEPTIONS!

OFF WITH THE TOP OF MY HEAD!!

WHAT UP WORLD!!

HAPPY BELATED FREE COMIC BOOK DAY!! Pretty awesome to get free stuff. This week was a huge week. Was it all worth it....lets find out.

So many books in such a small space so here we go..



FRAGGLE ROCK #1

From Archaia, the company that brought us Mouseguard comes Fraggle Rock!
Everyone who grew up in the 80's, grew up with The Muppets, Sesame Street and Fraggle Rock as icons in their childhood. This first issue of three gives us three cool short stories taking us back to that hidden little place called Fraggle Rock.

First is a story about how Red feels that everyone pays so much attention to Gobo just because his Uncle Traveling Matt is a great explorer and everyone thinks that Gobo is just as brave and cool as Uncle Traveling Matt. The two fraggles get trapped out in the Gorg garden. They both soon come to realize that they're both very brave and competition doesn't have to be so dangerous for them to prove their bravery.

The second story is a funny story about how Junior Gorg drops his watch down the well and it lands in Fraggle Rock, where Red gets the idea to create a game for everyone to play within a certain amount of "tik toks".

The third story is about Red getting bonked on the head and coming up with a bunch of crazy ideas.
It's a short but cool little book bringing back all the memories of being a kid and planting myself in front of the t.v as a kid. What I really find interesting is that Archaia decided to go with the same format of comic that they use for "Mouse Guard".

3 out of 5



FALL OF THE HULKS: RED HULK #4

So we've all wondered what the Intelligencia's main goal of everything they've been trying to accomplish is...Is it world domination? riches? power? No it's actually to make the world a better place by finally disposing of The Hulk and his kind and to use their combined intelligence and resources to make a Utopia, all united under the banner of The Intelligencia.
This is where the Red Hulk really falls into place. His role as a counterpart to Bruce Banner is obvious but what we find out here is his other role as a constant reminder that no matter what, The Hulk will overcome and somehow thwart their plans.
Jeff Parker does a great job of showing this other side to The Red Hulk with his witty remarks towards M.O.D.O.K forcing him to overexert himself and showing him that again no matter what, The Hulk will always find a way to win.
A good issue and great insight into what can and may happen if The Intelligencia get their way.

4 out of 5



MIGHTY AVENGERS #36

Sadly, this is the last issue of Mighty Avengers.
Knee deep in Ultron controlled Jocasta robots, trapped in The Infinite Mansion and cut off from the rest of the world, Pym, Jocasta, Ace and Black Jack fight to survive in this final issue of the series.
Writer Dan Slott goes out with a bang as we come to find out that Hank has been trying to save Janet's body from dissipating with the unwitting help of Jocasta. All the while, Ultron Pym is slowly closing in on the group as they scramble to come up with a last ditch plan to survive.
Jocasta finally gives herself to Ultron as his bride in return for the safety of Hank. My favorite part of the issue was Hank Pym "marrying" Ultron and Jocasta.
With Ultron's mind off the real issue at hand, Hank banishes Ultron and Jocasta off into space where hopefully, Ultron won't come back.
From that point it's straight to Asgard to help the rest of the team as they fight against Osborn and his forces.
I'm really sad to see this series get canceled but all good things come to an end. What does Marvel have in store for earth's mightiest heroes, we'll soon find out.
My wish is that Dan Slott gets put on another Avengers title because he has such a love and passion for these characters. The man is a walking Marvel encyclopedia.

5 out of 5




NEW AVENGERS #64

Another Avengers title that saw it's last issue drop this week. In all honesty, I wish this issue came out the same week as issue four of SIEGE. It basically gives away the ending to the story before we're really supposed to find out. I don't want to spoil anything for anyone so I won't mention what happens.
What I can say is this series shouldn't be getting canceled. They're re-starting the series with a new number one issue of NEW AVENGERS. Why? why doesn't Marvel just continue this series and keep the same numbering? I don't understand this and I'm sure there are plenty of other loyal fans who feel the same. Didn't Marvel just retool Daredevil, The Incredible Hulk, Spider-Man and Captain America all to fit their proper numbering?

5 out of 5


THOR #609

Another reason why I wish SIEGE #4 came out this week along with these books, These tie-ins this week all give a small piece to the larger puzzle that is the end of the story.
Balder and the rest of his Asgardian brethren rally to get back into the fight and bring back order to the chaos that is now their former home Asgard.
Loki comes clean in an attempt to try and save some form of face by revealing to Balder that he's been the one pulling Norman Osborn's strings and no matter what even if it's for profit or pleasure he is the God of mischief and what he does is the nature of the beast. Loki is then exiled and then....read the issue, I'm not going to ruin it.
Big things are in store for Thor and company.

5 OUT OF 5



THUNDERBOLTS #143

Another last issue of sorts, Thunderbolts is being reworked next issue when Luke Cage comes in and takes over the T-Bolts.
I enjoyed this issue because it tied into Mighty Avengers. It was cool to see the Thunderbolts side and the Avengers as well. As far as SIEGE goes, well this issue like the other two that tied into SIEGE, really wasn't anything special. It was a way to deconstruct the current T-Bolts lineup and construct the next story arc. Everyone except Paladin and Ant-Man make it out alive and escape out into the world. I hope Marvel doesn't forget about Ant-Man and he makes it onto an Avengers team. All in all this issue was alright for the most part but just like the other two before it, it wasn't what it could have or should have been.

3 out of 5





Ultimate Avengers 2 #1

Nick Fury and his black-ops Avengers need a Captain America for the team and they found that man in none other than Frank Castle aka The Punisher.
cool idea but seriously, come on giving him the stupid "Captain Punisher" costume is stupid. I'm sure Mark Millar has some great ideas for it as far as it giving Frank some power but still. It's the Punisher, what makes him cool is he's an average guy, not some jacked up super hero.
That aside, the issue was pretty good, fairly gorey and has potential to turn out to be an awesome story.

4 out of 5



All I'm going to say is I told you so. If you go back and re-read my reviews, you'll see I said I had a feeling this someone wasn't going to make it. This issue was awesome. Everything about it was cool. I really like how all of the writers are now digging into the story and going for the gut. Hope is such an awesome character and the way Kyle and Yost are writing her as a child in a soldier's body is phenominal. The fight between Bastion, Hope, Rogue and Nightcrawler was tremendous. I can't wait to see what happens next. If you disagree then something is wrong with you.

5 out of 5



The first Marvel comic to adorn the new "Heroic Age" banner. The issue has been built up since issue number one. Matt Fraction has done an awesome job of writing Tony Stark like no one else. In my opinion this has been one of the best Iron Man runs ever.
Back from the dead and dealing with the fact that he's lost a big chunk of memory because the last time Tony uploaded his brain was so long ago, he doesn't remember anything about Civil War and beyond. Stark's empire is gone and Pepper Potts is the sole shareholder in Stark Industries.
Tony finally decides that instead of dealing in war, he's going to deal in technology and helping people in their everyday lives. He decides to give up the secret to Repulsor Tech.
This is a drastic change for the character because ever since Civil War, Stark has played a big role in providing military weapons and technology.
And the big one, we get a new suit, which is...AMAZING!!
Great issue and a great jumping on point for new Iron Man fans.

5 out of 5


SIEGE: SECRET WARRIORS #1

Another strange story dealing with SIEGE. Alex aka Phobos the god of fear is Ares son. He watches on television as his father is ripped in half by The Sentry. He then decides to use Nick Fury's secret White House base to sneak in and tell the President that what Norman Osborn did better not happen ever again or he'll be back to take care of the President. It was a good issue, don't get my wrong but at the same time I think they could've done something a lot better with Alex reacting to his father's death. Ares was a really big part in the kids life and I would've liked to see him attempt to go toe to toe with The Sentry.
not bad but nothing great.

3 out of 5

and that's all for me folks!

Chip & Ding Dong # 2

Good day all, just a quick note to let everyone know the next page of Chip & Ding Dong is up!
check it out at www.chipanddingdong.com :)



-Talent Jones

Collector’s Corner

Let’s do a little math. Suppose you purchase ten comics a week at an average price of slightly over $2.99 each. Add your local discount (which is a nice fat 15% at CBJ each and every Wednesday…yet another unabashed plug!!!), allow for the occasional Trade Paperback or special Issue and you can easily invest over $200 per year on your comic fix. And THAT is if you only average TEN books a week. I average close to twenty and I know a lot of collectors who buy far more than that! Obviously we make a pretty hefty investment, on an annual basis , in our hobby! So why would ANYONE not want to take proper care of their collection when it costs you LESS than 10% to properly care for your precious books???

Believe it or not, many if not MOST, collectors fail to do at least one of the big three.

The BIG THREE are

1) Bag and Board
2) Box
3) Inventory

Bagging and boarding your books is the single most basic and important step in maintaining your collection in top condition. Over time even modern books on high grade paper will degrade for any number of reasons. They become creased, water damage, tears, color fade etc. By putting your books in bags with acid free backing boards you can protect your comics from most, though not all, forms of degradation. There are many options for bagging and boarding your comics that can run you between 10 and 25 cents a comic. LESS than 10%! I prefer to put all of my books from Silver Age through Modern Age into SILVER AGE resealable bags with Silver Age Acid Free boards.

Why use the larger Silver Age Bag for smaller modern comics? Well it is an individual choice but I find that Modern Age bags are a bit tight and with my fumble thumbs I am more likely to damage the book during the process of bagging and boarding. Using a Silver Age bag in conjunction with Silver Age boards gives me a nice tight fit BUT allows some wiggle room in bagging and then removing the comic for reading. I use resealable bags because I don’t like to fuss with the scotch tape but resealable are not better or worse than normal bags. I also tend to use the lighter gauge bags because I think the books LOOK better in them but again that is a personal choice and many collectors favor the heavier bag.

Of course I am describing bagging and boarding with standard bags and acid free boards. You can also opt to use Mylar or Mylite bags but they are more expensive and typically will push your cost to 25 cents a book, still a great deal. Mylar/Mylites have several advantages. Mylar is the heavier, less flexible of the two choices for archival storage.

Mylites2 are made from 2-mil thick Mylar® D. The 2 mil sleeves are twice the thickness and 4 times the protection of 1 mil thick bags, and offer hundreds of times the archival storage protection of non-archival polypropylene and polyethylene bags. This means that you won’t have to rebag your comics every five years or so. I use this option for my more valuable and older books. Both Mylite and Mylar make your books look fantastic!

BIG NOTE HERE ON MYLAR AND MYLITE! When you go to shows bear in mind that the books you are looking at up on the wall all benefit in appearance from Mylar storage. They tend to look HIGHER in grade than they really are. Any reputable dealer will let you see the book OUTSIDE the bag if you are considering a purchase. If the dealer refuses to do so I always wonder what he/she is hiding and move on to the next table. Of course the etiquette goes both ways, never ask a dealer to remove a boom from the Mylar unless you ARE seriously considering making a purchase.

The bottom line is that bagging and boarding your comics is a must for any serious collector. You never know, you MAY want to sell your books one day and they will always fetch a better price if they are in high grade.

Now let’s talk about boxes.

You COULD use any old box for your comics. Anything made of sturdy cardboard will do. However I use standard long and short comic boxes, specifically designed for my books.
The Comic Long Box is the highest quality, most competitively priced cardboard storage box on the market today. They are constructed of white corrugated paper and have a 200 lb. test strength. Use this box to store and protect all your valuable collectible comics.

The major advantage to using comic boxes designed to HOLD comics is that you can store your books standing up which makes them much easier to arrange and organize. In addition the heavy gauge boxes are somewhat stackable. I typically have no problem going three high myself. Another advantage is that you can get about 250 bagged and boarded comics into a single long box. As your collection grows storage DOES become a very real issue. I currently have over 30 long boxes filled with my “active” collection and at least that many more that I have archived away. If I tried to do that with non standard boxes, it would be a complete mess!

A note on boxing. If you box your comics UNBAGGED and UNBOARDED they tend to bend and suffer damage over time. Boxing your books in that state IS better than not boxing them at all but I highly recommend doing the two in conjunction.

ANOTHER NOTE ON BOXING. I keep different “flavors” of box.

1) First are my “Active boxes” these seven or eight boxes are for my current ongoing purchases of ongoing titles. (Superman, FF, Iron Man, current mini series etc)
2) Completed runs. In these boxes I store recent completed mini-series and cancelled books. I can get at them easily but it leaves my Active Boxes free for filing new books.
3) Archive boxes – These are boxes that I use for multiples, books I want to sell, older books I am not going to read any time soon etc.
4) Current “Read me” box. This is a short box that I keep for my brand new, unread books. When I fill it after reading them, those books move down to my Active Boxes for filing.
Now to, what I consider the most overlooked aspect of maintaining a comic collection.

INVENTORY.

“Why should I inventory my comics? I know what I have.” Tell me that when you own 1,000 comics, or 5,000 comics. They add up SO fast. Just go back to our original premise of 10 books a week and you add 520 comics to your collection EVERY year! There is no way anyone can know every single book they own unless they record them in an inventory. There are MANY advantages to maintaining an up to date and accurate inventory of your books.

1) On that day you consider selling your comics it will help to know what you own!
2) A good inventory also tells you what you NEED. Want to fill in that run of Amazing Spiderman? Keep an inventory and you can create a “want list” anytime.
3) I ALREADY buy doubles accidentally because I am chronically absent minded. If I did not keep an inventory I would probably buy two of everything!!
4) A good inventory allows you to properly organize your books so you can actually FIND a title when you want it. All you need to do is NUMBER your boxes and make a note of which box your inventoried book is in. You are not compelled to keep them in alphabetical order which is a pain to maintain.
5) A good inventory helps you in knowing when to archive a title or put it into a “non-active” box. For instance I have all of my Secret Invasion and Final Crisis runs in a single box. As they are completed runs I don’t need to keep them in my active boxes.
“OK, so HOW do I inventory my books?” you ask. Good question grasshopper! There are several ways depending on the size of your collection and how much detail you want to go in to.

At one time or another I have used all of the following methods.

1) Writing the titles on the outside of the box. This is the MOST basic way to inventory your books. However the minute you consolidate your books the information is no longer correct. I gave this up almost as soon as I started the practice. NOT a good method at all.
2) The next method I used was to record my books into a notebook. I established 10-20 pages per title and entered the issue #, qty, condition, value and which box they were in. This IS a very accurate way to keep an inventory but it also has some drawbacks. Not the least of which is that you have to WRITE an awful lot and that you have to RE-write when you change the storage box, or the value changes. It is a nice ANALOG method though if you are computerphobic!
3) Computer Spreadsheet – Excel, Lotus, it makes no difference. Any spreadsheet program will work. You can easily update and edit your inventory and create reports and charts. I used this method for several years until I migrated to an Access database.
4) If you are a computer geek like me and know how to use Access, you can build a custom inventory program. This has advantages over a spreadsheet because data entry is easier, you have many more reporting options and your data can be imported/exported to a number of different formats. The disadvantage to this method is that, like the other methods, updates happen manually across the board and you must create a new record for every entry. There are a lot of keystrokes involved!
5) Third Party database – This is the method I use today. There are many over the counter programs designed for maintaining your inventory. I currently use ComicBase. (http://www.comicbase.com/) This program automatically updates current values, adds new issues through weekly updates, and gives me an option to post books for sale at NO COST. The program has a robust reporting function and entry only requires me to enter the quantity and location. I no longer have to waste time entering title or story line information. AND ComicBAse actually supports bar code scanning so all I have to do is scan the barcode on the cover! There are several good programs out there and most of them have a stripped down FREE version for you to try out to see what works best for you.

A note on inventorying your books. While it is a ton of work at the beginning, once you have caught up with your back stock, keeping your inventory up to date is just a matter of entering your new purchases so don’t be discouraged by the size of the task facing you. It really does pay off in the end!

So there you have it. Using these three steps, I have been able to keep my books in good shape, organized and accessible. I know what I have, what condition it is in, the current value and where all of my books are.

Is this for you? Well only YOU can answer that. Regardless of the methods you use to maintain your collection, the MOST important thing is to read and enjoy your comics!

That’s 30!

Mitch

OFF WITH THE TOP OF MY HEAD!!

WHAT UP WORLD!
Another exciting week in comics. I'm not going to ramble on like I usually do.. This is what I had to say about this weeks books.

SIEGE: SPIDER-MAN #1

I really liked this issue. The whole point in a nutshell was Spidey and Ms. Marvel fighting Mac Gargan / Venom as he rampages through Asgard and Broxton. Not only does Ms. Marvel get taken over by the alien symbiote and taken for a ride in her own body but the symbiote reveals to Spider-man that Ms. Marvel has feelings for him. This stems from the short high schoolish courting they had in the pages of Ms. Marvel. Brian Reed wrote this issue and he also wrote the Ms. Marvel series.
As far as this issue really having anything to do with "Siege", that's where the issue falters, having only the background location and Venom eating a few Asgardians, that was the only real tie-in to anything involving SIEGE.
Honestly, this should have been a Ms. Marvel SIEGE book because in my opinion, she was the main attraction, not Spider-man.
Brian Reed did a nice job of tying up the loose ends between Ms. Marvel and Spider-man in this one shot stemming from Ms. Marvel's series. He also tied in the "DARK REIGN: Spider-Man" mini, where Venom posing as Spider-man harassed JJJ and even ate squirrels.
In short it was a way for Brian Reed to tie up all his loose ends but as far as Siege goes, this really didn't do anything for the overall story.

3 out of 5



DV8 Gods and Monsters #1

I was really looking forward to this book when I heard it was being done by Brian Wood. I'm a really big fan of the original series from the 90's. Although I'm upset that it's not being done by the original team of Warren Ellis and Humberto Ramos, Wood would be my next best choice for these characters.
However, I've read this issue three times and I still don't understand what's going on. The original story was about a group of teens who had the Gen Factor and had powers. They were taken in and originally intended for the government to use and abuse when Bliss and Threshold took them and used the team for their own twisted needs as mercenaries. The book was pretty much sex, drugs and powers.
This story so far drops the team in a "Northlanderish" world where the teens are worshiped as gods while Gem aka Copycat is debriefed about what happened to the team in this world by some unknown person or persons.
I understand that since being brought over to DC when Jim Lee sold his WILDSTORM characters that nothing from the previous series would carry over or be the same. I understand that most people may not even remember these characters and it's easier to give them a fresh start and fresh faces but I don't get why they couldn't just keep the characters in the same vein. This team was a team of misfits and killers hence the name DV8 or Deviants. These kids are supposed to be straight up crazy killers who were supposed to be polar opposites of the other teen team GEN 13.
This is only the first issue and I'm curious to see what Brian Wood has in store. If you've never read the Warren Ellis / Humberto Ramos run on the book, the trade paper back is available and I highly recommend it.

3 out of 5



X-Men Legacy #235

Part Four of the Thirteen part saga "Second Coming" and things are really making some serious headway in the story. In Cameron Hodge's manufacturing plant, The New Mutants are literally fighting for their lives. Karma's leg has been cut off by Hodge and he's really kicking the crap out of the rest of the team. Cyclops gave the kill order and Cannonball realizes that it really is do or die.
While that is going on, Cable and Hope are still on the run from The Purifiers and can't figure out how they keep tracking them down. Little do they know that Bastion with the help of the Techno-Organic Virus can pinpoint Cable anywhere, anytime.
The X-Men realize this after Bastion shuts down Cerebra with a psychic shockwave and the teams are now basically blind.
They finally catch up to Cable and explain what's going on. He has one option and that's to put Hope in the care of Rogue who absorbed Wolverine, Colossus, Nightcrawler, Archangel and Psylocke's powers.
Back at the weapons plant, Cypher realizes how to stop Cameron Hodge once and for all and he needs Warlock to do something he never thought he'd ask his friend.. He needs Warlock to infect Hodge and kill him otherwise they're all going to die at his hands.
With Hodge out of the way and Cerebra down, this story just gets better and better as it goes.
I'm really glad that Marvel is taking the necessary steps as far as the X-Men go to really out do any other storyline with this one. The fact that even now The New Mutants realize that in times of war death is a necessity just goes to show that "Second Coming" is totally revamping the entire scope of just how far Mutants, no matter hero or villain are willing to go to survive as a species. The X-Men have been getting their asses handed to them for so long and not willing to cross that line of willingly killing the enemy finally being blurred is outstanding. They understand that if they hope to survive and continue as a species and as a team they are going to have to go to measures they never dreamed they would. Wolverine and X-Force aren't the only killers anymore.

5 out of 5



FALL OF THE HULKS: SAVAGE SHE HULKS #2

Where has Jennifer Walters been since "Incredible Hulk #600" you ask, well, she's been in the captivity of The Leader and M.O.D.O.K aboard the decommissioned S.H.I.E.L.D Helicarrier The Red Hulk brought down in "Hulk #2".
Lyra, Titana and Hulk's daughter from a possible future reveals that she became part of The Frightful Four so that she could locate and save her friend She-Hulk.
Bruce Banner however, persuades her not to jump the gun and let his plan play out before she makes her move.
For the most part, this issue is all about Lyra explaining to Jen how she was kidnapped, what happened while she's been The Intelligencia's prisoner and why she's been doing what she's doing.
Just as you thought things were safe, who shows up but none other than The Red She-Hulk. The last time Jen fought her (in a simulation), she killed her so next issue should be a great fight.
Not a bad issue, not a great issue but it's nice to finally have the REAL She-Hulk join the fight.

3 out of 5



GREEN LANTERN #53

Picking up the pieces and cleaning up the devastation in the aftermath of "Blackest Night", Hal Jordan and The New Guardians deal with life after everything that's happened.
In the lost sector on the planet Ryut, some mysterious figure has Parallax chained to some kind of statue with the Yellow Lantern symbol on it, around him are other statues with the rest of the different Corps insignia's on them. What does this mean and what is going to happen?
Hal Jordan and Carol Ferris are in a bar talking about the events that just past. They hop in their jets and fly around when they are "attacked" by Sinestro, who explains a White Lantern has shown up and they need to figure out why and for what.
Lex Luthor is attacked in his lab as he's studying some remains of a Black Lantern by Larfleeze who wants more of everything Earth has to offer. At first, Lex says that power is what Larfleeze seeks, then he suggests Larfleeze needs land.
Saint Walker and The Flash are helping clean up a cemetary, where Saint Walker is praying for the dead and their desecrated graves.
Meanwhile on Ysmault, Atrocitus is talking to Ganthet and Guy Gardner about something having to do with Earth and something about betraying Hal Jordan and destroying the Green Lantern Corps once and for all.
Geoff Johns continues the best book in comics today. You have to know at this point that Blackest Night didn't answer everything and that there's still so much more to be revealed. I can't wait and I know you can't either.

5 out of 5

and with that said, That's all folks.

On a side note, I recently celebrated my 1 year anniversary with my fiance. I commissioned my awesome friend Ms. Lauren Monardo to do a picture of me and the Mrs. as our nicknames. I thought I'd share it with you all because it's so awesome. If you like it, feel free to hit up Lauren on Facebook or in the forums. She will hook you up with some AMAZING WORK!!


MINNIE AND THE MUNSTER!

FREE COMIC BOOK DAY!

FREE COMIC BOOK DAY - SATURDAY, MAY 1ST!

The most fun day of the year is only a week away! Join us at the store on Saturday, May 1st for FREE COMIC BOOK DAY! For those of you unfamiliar with FCBD, let me put it into perspective for you. Every major publisher releases a book or two for free, absolutely no cost to you! Just come down to the store and pick out what you want. There will be a limited amount of books per customer and only until supplies last. First come, first served. In addition we will have a few creators down at the store to sign books (including some done for Free Comic Book Day) and do some sketches for you! Included are some of the guys from Zuda Comics, DC's awesome web comic hub! Here's the lineup:

• Evan Dorkin (Dork, Milk & Cheese, Simpsons)
• Steve Ellis (High Moon, Zuda Comics)
• David Gallaher (High Moon, Zuda Comics)
• Lauren Monardo (Det. Ham & Eggs, Chip & Ding Dong)
• The Timony Twins (Night Owls, Zuda Comics)

What? Free comics and tons of creators aren't good enough for you? Fine, on top of all this there will be a 10% discount on everything in the store throughout the entire day! Be sure not to miss this once a year event that everyone will be talking about.

Wolverine As A Cultural Icon

There are literally hundreds of popular comic book characters today in a hobby that is going through a true BOOM. From Iron Man to Green Lantern …Witchblade…Buffy….Archie …Doc Savage…comics are rippling with great and popular characters. But far more rare are characters that fall into the category of ICONIC.

An iconic character is more than just popular. For a character to be iconic, it must become a part of the cultural consciousness. In the real world, people like Charles Chaplin, Muhammad Ali, and Frank Sinatra are all considered iconic because they have become so intertwined in our collective culture that what they actually accomplished is beside the point. Say SINATRA to anyone…well nearly anyone and they will know you mean FRANK.

For Television…say Beam me up Scotty and people who NEVER saw Star Trek will know what you mean. THAT is iconic.

For a comic character the , the definition is about the same. Mickey Mouse and Superman are known by people who never ever picked up a comic, or saw a movie about them. They are iconic in the same way that Babe Ruth is iconic. You did not need to be there to know who they were.
In the world of comics we have Superman, Batman, Captain America, Wonder Woman, Charlie Brown/Snoopy, Mickey Mouse, and Spiderman and that is about it. Spidey was the last iconic comic character created and that was back in the very early 1960’s! And then there’s Wolverine…

In my opinion, Wolvie is the last, newest comic character to enter the pantheon of iconic characters.


What makes a character Iconic? I believe that for a character to achieve this status it must do two things:

1) It must speak very strongly to the period in which it was created and
2) Have the capacity to be reinvented for new audiences.

Plus it helps if they LOOK really cool!

In the case of Wolverine he very much spoke to the time he was created (1974) and continues to do so today. Wolverine represents the individual standing up against the status quo. He pursues the same goals as more mainstream characters but does so according to his own rules. Unlike most other Superheroes, Logan WILL kill but not in the capricious way that The Punisher does. In that way, Wolverine is more akin to Captain America in that he is as much a soldier as he is a hero. He is, in fact, and Anti-hero. Where we can see Superman standing tall with the flag waving behind him, the product of a more innocent time, Wolverine fairly drips with post Viet Nam cynicism and disillusionment. Wolverine is a very close relation to cinematic heroes Billy Jack and Buford Pusser (Walking Tall). By the end of the 70’s Logan’s place in the pantheon of iconic characters was well on it’s way to fruition, but it would not be until the events of 9/11 that his place would be cemented.

By the early 80’s marvel had taken much of the edge off of Wolverine as our culture moved into the “Me” generation. It was no longer politically correct to have Wolverine behave in a manner similar to The Punisher while being a key leadership figure in the company’s flagship title. Over the course of the next decade or so Wolverine was either a traditional superhero, Dutch uncle, gaijin , or superfluous guest star used to pump up sales in flagging books. Like Superman and Batman before him, Logan had become a victim of his own success. He was no longer interesting.
However, the post 9/11 culture that produced 24 and the TV version of Wolverine (sans claws) Jack Bauer, gave Wolverine a new energy and something of a return to his roots. In order for Logan to work as a character he HAS to be dangerous. Take a look at his appearances since about 2005 and you will see the dangerous Wolvie in full swing, once again a relevant reflection of his times. And now he is an iconic figure, rated #1 on Wizard’s top 100 list of all time comic book characters.

Still in order for a character to be iconic, it also needs a hook. Something that grabs you. For Superman it was flight, for Cap it was the flag, Chaplin had the derby and cane, and Spock has his ears. Logan has a GREAT hook. Those wonderful claws. They GRAB us and fire our own fantasies. Who wouldn’t like to be able to pop a full set of adamantium claws and slice into …anything? It is very visceral and essential to the iconic image.

Icons, unlike merely popular characters don’t come along too often. Logan has only recently become truly iconic. Wolverine has certainly earned his place alongside Superman, Spider-man et. al. …and stands alone as the ONLY iconic character to come out of the Bronze Age of Comics.
What do you think? Are there other characters who are iconic? Let’s talk about it!

That’s 30!

Mitch